Jump to content

I Have Committed A Great Sin: Bought A Pilot Vanishing Point


Sallent

Recommended Posts

I have just committed the worst sin in my 8+ years as a FP user. I bought a C/C pen. After swearing to never buy a FP without an internal filler mechanism, I just ordered a black Pilot Vanishing Point with rhodium plated trim, and an 18K rhodium plated nib, from Goulet Pens.

 

What have I done? I knew I should not have drank that cheap bottle of Thai rum my friend brought me from Asia. A couple of shots of that stuff and the order had been placed before I came to my senses. Darn it, why didn't I stick to vodka?

 

At least I had the foresight to order a Con 20 converter along with it, which has that vintage Parker flare to it with the press bar rubber bladder. Here's hoping I don't come to regret this order. At least with the converter I can stay away from those dreaded cartridges and keep using bottled ink, and given the classic design of the Con 20 converter, I may be able to stomach using this pen.

Edited by Sallent

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 81
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Sallent

    11

  • KBeezie

    9

  • proton007

    5

  • Donald2

    4

At least you will enjoy unwrapping it - just think, a lovely box from Goulet Pens.

 

And maybe you will need to drink Thai rum every time you decide to use the pen. LOL

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." Earnest Hemingway

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I like internal filler systems, the truth is that having the Pilot VP will probably be extremely convenient for me when it comes to meetings and writing post-it notes to my staff. That's something that can get little inconvenient in the office with a traditional FP. At least I can say that about the Pilot VP. Now, had I bought a regular FP with a screw cap that was a C/C, I think I'd truly be kicking myself right about now. So I guess my semi-tipsy impulsive buy fueled by that bottle of Thai rum probably wasn't all that bad.

 

Plus I already have two Pilot Custom 92 piston fillers, so my VP will probably fit in.

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drink some more rum and order some cartridges. They hold more ink than the converter and can be refilled numerous times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's why tea and good Canadian rye whisky are the only things one should drink in connection with fountain pens.

Sometimes a technology reaches perfection and further development is just tinkering. The fountain pen is a good example of this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drink some more rum and order some cartridges. They hold more ink than the converter and can be refilled numerous times.

 

I just read that the Con-20 converter holds about as much ink as a Pilot Cartridge, so that's good. I am already committed to bottle ink with all my piston filler pens, so I don't want cartridges. I'll stick to my Con-20 converter for the VP. Besides, I prefer the diversity of inks available in the bottle inked market, as well as the recyclable nature of bottles vs plastic cartridges (which is the reason I've always owned pens with internal filler mechanisms, until now)

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drink some more rum and order some cartridges. They hold more ink than the converter and can be refilled numerous times.

+1, also, the pilot cartridge ink is pretty good. I do still like being able to refill with the ink of my choice

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Vanishing Point is special. It deserves an exception. :)

 

You may be right. I'll find out in the next 2-3 days for myself. I think part of me was drawn to it, in my slightly intoxicated state, due to the ballpoint pen-like mechanism. Having to uncap a regular FP to write a short post-it note to a staff member, or to take a quick note, can be slightly inconvenient at times. The VP looks like it may be more convenient for those situations.

 

This is the 3rd Pilot pen I buy in one month. I bought two Pilot Custom 92 FPs earlier this month, and I absolutely love the nibs and piston filler mechanisms on those two pens.

Edited by Sallent

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've inspired me. I just filled up one of my VP's for the work week... Filled it with some Ancient Copper. It has been months since one of my VP's has been in rotation.

Sun%20Hemmi2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I just read that the Con-20 converter holds about as much ink as a Pilot Cartridge, so that's good. I am already committed to bottle ink with all my piston filler pens, so I don't want cartridges. I'll stick to my Con-20 converter for the VP. Besides, I prefer the diversity of inks available in the bottle inked market, as well as the recyclable nature of bottles vs plastic cartridges (which is the reason I've always owned pens with internal filler mechanisms, until now)

 

Well, I like my Vanishing Points. I can tell you that if you have the fine nib, then a single cartridge (I know you don't want to use them, but bear with me a moment) will last fairly long. If you got the broad nib, probably not so long.

 

But about those cartridges. One thing about the Pilot cartridges is that the little plastic disk at the end lets you reseal them fairly easily. See this thread for details. So you can buy a pack of a practical ink like the Pilot Blue, every time a cartridge is emptied, refill it with something you like better, and then just keep those refilled cartridges around indefinitely until you need them. That way, you can refill on the go with whatever ink it is that you use. Just don't lose the little metal cartridge cap that comes with the pen.

 

And you can still use the converter, of course.

"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."

 

- Benjamin Franklin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just realized I forgot to mention the nib size. I ordered an XF nib. I already have a F nib and a FM nib on my Pilot Custom 92 fountain pens. I tend to write small, so finer nibs suit me better. That is the reason I got into Pilot pens in the first place, they know how to make real F nibs, and not what Europeans try to pass off as a F nib. Although I love my F and FM Pilot nibs, I can't wait to see how thin the lines on a Pilot XF are.

Edited by Sallent

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drink some more rum and order some cartridges. They hold more ink than the converter and can be refilled numerous times.

 

I've noticed this doing a syringe transfer from a used pilot cartridge over to a converter (because the CON-50 didn't come til later), wasn't a full cartridge and I had left over from filling the converter. Kind of the opposite experience from international standard cartridges vs converter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just realized I forgot to mention the nib size. I ordered an XF nib. I already have a F nib and a FM nib on my Pilot Custom 92 fountain pens. I tend to write small, so finer nibs suit me better. That is the reason I got into Pilot pens in the first place, they know how to make real F nibs, and not what Europeans try to pass off as a F nib. Although I love my F and FM Pilot nibs, I can't wait to see how thin the lines on a Pilot XF are.

 

I'll find out tomorrow, but the main difference is, it's not a VP, but rather a late 70s Elite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I like internal filler systems, the truth is that having the Pilot VP will probably be extremely convenient for me when it comes to meetings and writing post-it notes to my staff. That's something that can get little inconvenient in the office with a traditional FP. At least I can say that about the Pilot VP. Now, had I bought a regular FP with a screw cap that was a C/C, I think I'd truly be kicking myself right about now. So I guess my semi-tipsy impulsive buy fueled by that bottle of Thai rum probably wasn't all that bad.

 

Plus I already have two Pilot Custom 92 piston fillers, so my VP will probably fit in.

Now you just need to get hammered and order a Nakaya. The urushi and divine nibs, if you like a stiffer nib, is worth the C/C. Besides, the C/C lets you run through the hundreds of inks you deserve to own. ;)

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/Runnin_Ute/fpn_1424623518__super_pinks-bottle%20resized_zps9ihtoixe.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're more than half way towards joining our elite school of dyed in the wool VP enthusiasts! Can't wait to hear how you feel once you've had the pen in hand for a few days. Enjoy!

Moshe ben David

 

"Behold, He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never drink and shop online. Never drink and text either. The VP is one of my favorite pens to write and draw with. I envy you for having the custom 92 with the piston filler. One of many pens on my wish list.

<p><span style="font-size:18px;">"And the final score is No TARDIS, no screwdriver, two minutes to spare. Who da Man!?! (long silence) I am never saying that again. Fine."- The Doctor </span>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No sin in purchasing a VP, no matter what anyone else says. They're great pens! They have a small ink capacity, but the cartridges do make a difference. Besides, C/C fillers, while not glamorous are easy to clean.

Tamara

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...